This invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for recycling and reconditioning oil, and more specifically to such a method and apparatus for convenient use on-site at the user's facility.
It is common knowledge that oil must be changed regularly in internal combustion engines in order to enhance engine performance and to prevent any deleterious side effects. In the trucking industry, such as for example the class 8 trucking industry, some trucks log up to about 300,000 miles per year. One truck engine manufacturer recommends that the oil be changed every 60,000 miles when using synthetic oil, which translates into about 5 oil changes per year. An average truck uses about 10 gallons of new oil per oil change at a cost of approximately $15.00 per gallon. This translates into $150.00 per oil change, or $750.00 per truck per year. For a high mileage truck fleet owner having perhaps 100 trucks, one can readily ascertain that the yearly cost of oil changes, ie., $75,000.00, can be quite substantial. Moderate mileage trucks log about 120,000 miles per year and change engine oil about every 25,000 miles when using an appropriate petroleum base engine oil, for example 15W40 specification.
In addition, due to environmental concerns, EPA regulations and the like, the user, such as a truck fleet servicing facility, must dispose of the oil in an environmentally safe manner. As seen in FIG. 1, this disposal may proceed as follows. First, the spent oil is drained from the vehicle 100. The spent oil is then collected in an on-site oil collection area 102 located at the user's facility. The oil is then picked up and taken to an off-site oil collection facility 104. From this facility 104, some of the oil is sold and is burned for heat 106, while the remainder is sent to, or picked up by a bulk oil handler 108. The bulk oil handler then takes the spent oil to a re-refiner 110 who must remove all finite particles from the spent oil, and re-refine it to remove any moisture, diesel fuel and/or glycols which may be present. The re-refined oil is then sent to a formulator 112 who must check the re-refined oil composition to ascertain whether such characteristics as viscosity, lubricity, pH and the like are within a desired specification. If they are not, formulator 112 must make any adjustments to the re-refined oil composition to bring it within the desired specifications. The re-refined and adjusted oil is then sent to a distributor 114. If the user wishes to utilize reconditioned oil, the user then buys that reconditioned oil from distributor 114.
As can be seen from FIG. 1, this method of recycling is labor intensive, very time consuming and expensive. Thus, the user is caught in a dilemma between the great expense incurred by utilizing all new oil at every oil change and the expense and trouble involved with utilizing recycled or reconditioned oil, some of which time and expense the user cannot escape (due to environmental regulations) even if he were to choose to use new oil at every oil change.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and process for reconditioning oil on-site at the user's facility, thereby advantageously allowing the user to save the time and expense of collecting and sending spent oil to an off-site collection and/or recycling facility. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is portable and advantageously does not require an inordinate amount of floor space in the user's facility. Yet further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an oil changing apparatus for use in the on-site reconditioning apparatus, which oil changing apparatus quickly and efficiently removes spent oil substantially completely and easily from the crank case.